5 Easy Steps To Inspire Customers To Share Your Product Or Service With Others

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Wouldn't it be an answer to a prayer if your product or service went viral and you were in demand worldwide? Well, yes and no. As a client is fond of saying, "Be careful what you wish for." I suggest instead: "Be prepared for what you wish for."

I've been told that when Sue Grafton wrote A Is For Alibi, and the book was a hit with the publisher, she was immediately contracted to write the series of A-Z mysteries, something she had not prepared for. She suddenly was faced with a 26-book deal. Poor thing, right?

Success can be stressful, but far more stressful is having a product or service that's basically just sitting on a shelf collecting dust.

So, what are some easy steps you can take to inspire consumers to share your product or service with others? Knowing these is important, but applying them is the key.

Here are 5 key steps to apply:

1. Address Customer Needs: Step away from your wants and needs for a moment and think solely about your customer. What about your product or service makes a person feel relieved, special, or helped in some way? Bring that out in your video or ad right off the bat to address your customers' immediate needs.

2. Know Your Customers' Triggers. What keywords have you included that will drive customers back to your site, blog, or Facebook page? Do a split test to determine whether your target customers respond more to negative keywords or positive ones. (An example of negative would be "My Employees Hate Me". An example of positive would be "5 Ways My Employees Like Me.") Ironically, many people respond to negative keywords. While that trigger might draw them in, your message should be positive.

3. What's Their "EQ" (Emotional Quotient).People (women in particular) purchase emotionally, based on how a product or service appeals to them. They are much more likely to share that "experience" with a friend. Look at your video or ad with new eyes. How is your video or advertising reaching your audience emotionally?

4. The 20/20 Factor. What about your slogan, logo, or motto visually grabs the viewer? Consumers buy from cell phones, laptops, iPads, etc. Visual stimulation will stimulate senses and make potential customers more eager to buy. Can you trim your slogan or message to one word? Can you transform that to one image? Can that image get the message across effectively?

5. Added Value. What free information can you offer your consumer (e-book, DVD, Whitepapers, Articles) to help them better understand your product or service, or something relating to your industry? The information you offer gives you something in return: Credibility.

Remember, people love stories. Stories or anecdotes offer a personal touch to your video or ad. While you're addressing steps 1-5 above, ask yourself, "What stories can I share that are relevant to my product or service and appealing to my customers?"

In our industry of business coaching, personal stories can be challenging, because business owners don't often like to admit that they have any challenges. But the fact is, we all have challenges in different areas of our businesses and need coaches or advisers to guide us through them. If you face similar challenges in getting personal stories together, try focusing on the positive influence your product or service has on people, including: increased profits, convenience, or growth the company has experienced through use of your products or services, rather than on your client's shortcomings.

That said, we all love stories of underdogs who make it big. Has someone you know been up against incredible odds and yet made it because of your product or service? With the focus being on them and their journey and success, your product or service becomes the champion.

Success is a certainly a goal worth pursuing, but it does take some forethought, just as a "Plan B" takes forethought. The strategic steps listed in this article will get you happy customers and happy customers refer other customers. There are a number of elements that make a referral strategy effective. Above all else, there are two key things you must understand for referral strategies to be successful:

* Your service

* Your offer

Your service:

Everyone talks about the value of great customer service, equating it with politeness, letting the customer be right, going out of one's way to make customers comfortable or happy about your product or service, but quite frankly, all that is expected by the customer. True customer service is offering them something they aren't expecting.

So, what are some ways you can surprise your customer and delight them to the degree that they talk positively about you to their family, friends, colleagues, and even to strangers?

Your offer:

Clearly the offer is a close cousin to service in that the offer is the special value that you provide to your customers. Customers will be asking WIIFM (What's in it for me), but you may have to TEACH them the value. In other words, what about your product or service is important to them? They will be rewarded by receiving something of value that they want or need, and you will be rewarded by the referrals you'll get. How cool is that?

By putting the above steps in place, you can be assured that customers will be more likely to share your product or service with others, and that's the kind of business that ultimately benefits you.

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